Beater engine



Patented Aug. 23, 1932 ummsm ESL FATE NT OFFICE. j

FRANK J". GRATHWOL'AND JOHN E. GRA' IPHWO'L, OF SANDUSKY, OHIO 1.

BEATER seem Application filed November 29, 1929. Serial No. 410,357.

The present invention relates, as indicated, to a heater engine. theinvention is to provide a device which shall operate upon straw or othersimilar material to create a long fibredpulp primarily for use in papermaking. Further objects'of the invention willappear asthe descriptionproceeds. To the accomplishment ofthe foregoing and related ends, saidinvent-ion, then, consists of the'means herein after fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detailcertain mechanism'embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting, however, but one of various mechanical" forms in which"the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing:

2 Fig. 1 is a vertical "section through the device of our invention; andFig. 2 is an elevation of an element comprising a part of the apparatusillustrated in Fig. 1..

' Referring more particularly to the'drawing, it will be seen that thedevice comprises a 'tank indicated generally at 10 and formed of abottom wall 11, side walls, and "one'end' wall 12 rising substantiallyVertically from said bottom wall, and a second end wall 13 joined tosaid bottom wall 11 by a smoothly curved portion 1 1. The tank or vat isdivided 'into an upper and a lower portion by an intermediate horizontalpartition 15 carried by the side walls and terminating short of the end5 walls 12 and 13. j I

- Adjacent the upper portion of the tank 10 there is mounted a'shaft 16journaled in the side walls of said tank and carrying a plurality ofradially projecting arms 17 peripherally spaced about said, shaft. Inthe same vertical plane with said shaft 16 there is mounted a secondshaft 18 carrying a similar number of radially projecting arms 19similarly spacedperipherally about the shaft 18. 5 As is clearly to beseen from an inspection of Fig. 1, the arms 17 and 19 are of a lengthonly slightly less than'the distance between the shafts 16 and 18. r jBelow the partition 15 and in the same vertical plane with the-shafts 16and 18 there The primary object of is mounted a third shaft 20 likewisejournaled in the side walls of the tank, and pro: vided with radiallyextending arms 21. A fourth shaft 22 is mounted in the same plane,

being journaledin the side walls ofthetank and being provided with aplurality of radially extending arms 23. The shafts'20 only slightlygreater th arms 21 and 23.

'Mounted'at'one side and 22 are likewise spaced apart a distance an thelength of said of the vertical plane above'mentioned, and journaled inthe side walls of the tank, is a shaft 24:, means (not shown) beingprovided for driving said shaft. The shaft 24 carries a'pinion 25 inmesh with a-gea'r 26 carried on the shaft 20. Said shaft 20 likewisecarries a second gear'27 meshing with agear 28 of identical pitchdiameter carried" upon the shaft gears 27'and 28- being such as toprevent-interference between the 22, the mesh of such arms 21 andl23'.

The shaft 20-carries a third gear 29 of much greater pitch" diameter,said gear 29 meshing with a gear 30 eter identical to that of the gear29 and carhaving a pitch diamri ed by the shaft 16. 'Said shaft 16'carries a "gear-'31 having a pitch diameter equal to that of the gear27; and saidgear 31 meshes with a gear 32 of equal pitch diametercarried upon the shaft 18.

As will be seen, the above described drive mechanism 'COIIIPIISGS shafts16, 18, 20 and 22 means whereby the are'all'driven at the same speed,and whereby the arms on said shafts are prevented from interfering witheach other; The shaft a' direction as to effect the shafts 16 and 22 arotation of the shafts 18 Mounted upon the partition 15 are a pair 24 isrotated in such clockwise rotation of nd counter-lockwise and20.

of stops 33, one of said stops being positioned adjacent each of theside walls of the tank.

Each of said stops 33 is provided with one cam face 34 for cooperationwith a wedge 35 having at its upper end a shank 36 threaded forcooperation with awing nut 37. Said wing nut 37 has bearin against ashield 38 which is supported upon the side" walls of the tank and uponthe stops'33. I n Mounted in horizontal slideways in the side m saidribs. A similar block 42 provided with .a

radiused surface 43 having ridges 44 formed thereon is mounted to slidehorizontally upon the partition 15. As will be clearly seen, eachof theblocks 39 and 42 is provided at its rear end with a vertical surfacewith which cooperate the vertical surfaces 46 of the cams 35, wherebysaid blocks 39 and 42 may be adjusted in a horizontal direction byreciprocation of the cams 35 through operation of the wing nuts.

Similarly, a stop 47 having a cammed surface 48 is mounted upon thebottom'wall 11 of a tank 10, and a wedge 49 is mounted for cooperationwith said surface 48 and is provided with a shank 50 extending upwardlythrough the partition 15 andthrough an aperture in the shield 38, theupper end 51 of said shank 50 being threaded for cooperation with thewing nut 52 bearing upon said shield 38.

A block 53 is horizontally slidable in guideways in the side walls ofthe tank, and is provided with a radiused portion 54 formed with ribs 55thereon for cooperation with the arms 21 on the shaft 20. A similarblock 56 is horizontally slidable upon the bottom wall 11 of said tankand'is formed with a radiused surface 57 provided with ribs 58 thereonfor cooperation with the arms 23 on the shaft 22. Each of the blocks 53and 56 is provided with a vertical surface 59 for cooperation with thecorresponding surface 60 on the wedge 49.-

In operation, the vat 10 is filled with liquid, as shown, and straw orother similar material is dropped into said tank through the opening 61.The shaft 24 is driven to rotate all of the shafts 16, 18, 20 and 22, sothat the arms on said shafts set up a circulation of the liquid throughthe tank. The straw, carried in the liquid, is caused to move betweenthe arms 17 and the ridges 41 and between the arms 19 and the ridges 44.The wedges 35 are so adjusted that the ends of the arms 17 and 19 barelyclear the ridges 41 and 44, so that the straw is rubbed between the armsand the ridges. This operation has a tendency to break down the strawand to tear the fibres thereof apart without cutting the same, so that along fibred pulp results.

After the straw has passed this stage, the circulation of the liquid inthetank' carries the straw around the end 62 of the partiour inventionmay be employed instead of the one explained, change being made asregards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by anyof the fol- V lowing claims or the equivalent of such stated means beemployed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as ourinvention:

1. lin a device of the class described, a vat, pair of parallel spacedshafts mounted in said vat in a common vertical plane, a pluralityofradially extending armsvmounted on each of said shafts, the arms onone shaft radially overlapping those on the other, the length of saidarms being slightly less than the distance between said shafts, a blockmounted adjacent each of said shafts and formed with a surfacecooperable with, but not engageable by said arms, the forward edges ofsaid block being spaced apart'a distance equal approximately to, thecombined diameter of said interfitted rollers and the rear edges forminga reduced passage, said rollers being adapted to rotate in a directionto carry the blades from the wide distance to the narrow opening betweenthe blocks, means forrotating said shafts, said shafts being rotatableto engage floating fiber at the diverging end of said blocks and todischarge it at their convergent ends;

2. In a device of the class described, a vat,

a pair of parallel spaced shafts mounted in said vat in a commonvertical plane, a plurality of radially extending arms mounted on eachof said shafts, a block mounted adj acent each of said shafts and formedwith asurfa'ce cooperable with but not engageable by said arms, anyplane including the axis of either of said shafts being intersected byan extension of said surface on the block adjacent said shaft, and meansfor r0- tating said shafts.

of the outer ends of said beater arms, said ridges beingangularly'disposed with respect to said respective's'hafts.

4. In a device of the character described, a vat adapted to contain aliquid, a pair of parallel shafts mounted in said vat below the level ofsuch liquid, beater arms on each of said shafts, the length of said armsbeing only slightly less than the distance between said shafts, meanscooperable with said beater arms, upon rotation of said shafts, forexerting a mangling effect upon material carried between said arms andsaid means, and common means for rotating said shafts, said last-namedmeans comprising a driven shaft, a pinion thereon, a gear on one of saidpair of shafts meshing with said pin ion, a second gear on said oneshaft, and a gear on the other of said pair of shafts and meshing withsaid last-mentioned gear.

5. In a device of the character described, a vat, two pairs of parallelshafts mounted in said vat in a common vertical plane, beater armscarried by each of said shafts, the length of such arms being onlyslightly less than the distance between the shafts of each of saidpairs, means cooperable with said arms upon rotation of said shafts forexerting a mangling effect upon material carried between said arms andsaid means, and common means for driving all of said shafts and forpreventing interference between the arms of said respective shafts,comprising a gear carried by each of said shafts, the gears of each ofsaid pairs meshing with each other, a gear of different pitch diametercarried by one of each pair of shafts, said last-mentioned gears meshingwith each other, a gear of a third pitch diameter carried by said oneshaft of one of said pairs, a driven shaft, and a pinion carried by saiddriven shaft and meshing with said last-mentioned gear. 7

6. An apparatus of the class described comprising a tank adapted tocontain liquidborne fibers, a pair of beater wheels in said tank, saidwheels being adapted to move outwardly in the direction of travel ofsaid fiber, a plurality of ribs arranged in two converging seriesadjacent the opposite rear quadrants of rotation of said wheels and adischarge channel between the adjacent rear edges of said two series ofribs.

7. In an apparatus adapted to comminute water-borne fibers, a tank, apair of beater wheels completely submerged therein, arms on said wheelspartly mutually overlapping, said wheels being adapted to turn outwardlyin the direction of travel of said fiber, a plurality of ribs arrangedin two converging series adjacent the opposite rear quadrants ofrotation of said wheels, and a discharge channel between the adjacentrear edges of said series of ribs.

8-. An apparatus of the class described comprising a closed liquidcircuit, a pair of beater wheels, said wheels carrying arms part lymutually overlapping, said wheels being adapted to turn outwardly in thedirection of travel of said fiber, a plurality of ribs arranged in twoconverging series adjacent the opposite rear quadrants of rotatlon ofsaid wheels, and a discharge channel between FRANK J. (irRATI-IVVOL.JOHN E. GRATI-IWOL.

